Chive, Scallion and Garlic Scape Pancakes with a Dipping Sauce

Chive and Garlic Scape PancakesI first saw these scallion pancakes on Soma’s blog, and they brought back memories of my first forays in eating out.Despite small New England college town settings, the world offered certain cuisines that seemed diverse enough for me – Greek, Lebanese and Mediterranean food to name a few.

I sometimes was not sure of what to expect and Chinese seemed like a safe bet, back in the day, however I was not very sure of this scallion pancake thing. A pancake to me was always something sweet, so the concept of the scallion pancake was something I really was not sure about. Of course, once I tried it, I was hooked. The first time I really tried this pancakes I was true to the original scallion version, since they I have mixed it up a little and tend to make these with a mixture of chives, garlic scapes (when in season), cilantro and scallions. I guess, some days I toss in some finely chopped greens into the mix as well. It is all about packaging a good amount of fragrant greens into a crisp flaky dough and serve this with piquant dipping sauce. This variation came about while trying to use the bunches of chives that grow in abandon in our garden from spring through late summer and even early fall.Garlic Scape Pancakes - 4 way

This weekend had a lot going on, Deepta was going to be doing her first public Indian singing performance. Given that I have been teaching her music the stakes are really high here. To make sure that she ensures the tension level and keeps it really strong she woke up on Saturday morning, unable to speak. Yes, she had the mother of colds and sore throats. Well, I had no choice but the roll with the punches. All in all, she did well, when you are six, the world is rather forgiving! It took a little time for her to warm up to the Aalap.

Pancakes_2

A simple rendition of Raag Durga, possibly her only foray into the world of Indian music. Over the past few years, I feel a little guilty as I have sidestepped my singing. The truth is I do not have the time to travel to Queens anymore and I have not had luck finding a music teacher who is more local.

Chive, Scallion and Garlic Scape Pancakes with a Dipping Sauce

Prep Time: 2 hours

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, 25 minutes

A seasonal riff on scallion pancakes, made with chives, garlic scapes and some cilantro for good measure.

Ingredients

    For the pancakes
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (atta)
  • 1 cup all purpose flour (note, you can use only all-purpose flour if desired)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • Oil for brushing
  • Extra flour for rolling
  • 1 cup finely chopped greens (a mixture of chives, garlic scapes, cilantro and scallions)
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • Salt and pepper
  • Oil for shallow frying
  • For the Dipping Sauce
  • 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 finely chopped scallion (white and green parts only)

Instructions

  1. Place the flours in a bowl and add in the salt and pepper.
  2. Gradually add in the water and mix into a dough.
  3. Set aside in the refridgerator for 1/2 and hour.
  4. Mix the cilantro, scallions, salt, pepper and green chillies if using.
  5. Break into small balls, roll out into thin circles with a little extra flour. (note, I found the dough much easier to manage this way).
  6. Place the green mixture across the pancake and then roll into a tube, (see pictures, the instructions on Soma's blog are very well illustrated as well).
  7. Gently scrunch the tube and then roll into a coil.
  8. Flatten and gently roll into a circle.
  9. Heat a skillet and place the pancake on the skillet. Add 2-3 tablespoons of oil and lightly brown, turn and repeat on the other side.
  10. Continue making all the pancakes in this way, cut into wedges and serve with the dipping sauce below.
  11. To make the dipping sauce, mix the soy sauce, vinegar, minced ginger, sugar, red pepper flakes and the scallion and set aside for at least 15 minutes before serving. It is a good idea to make this while the dough is chilling.

Notes

Includes time for chilling the dough

https://spicechronicles.com/chive-scallion-garlic-scape-pancakes-dipping-sauce/

 

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